The SIMs Kidwell 1550 reissues – original five-hole on the left, modern four-hole on the right. Photo: Bud Fawcett

The reversing of snowboarding trends has finally been taken to its logical conclusion – this week Terry Kidwell re-released his famous SIMs pro model from 1985: the Kidwell 1550 Roundtail.

Many claim was the first ever freestyle specific board

This is the snowboard that many claim was the first ever freestyle specific board due to its kicktail, allowing riders to travel fakie without fear of catching the tail for the first time. Whilst Jake Burton was busy building race boards and trying to get halfpipe banned from contests, the legendary Tom Sims was cooking up the future of all snowboards with the help of the newly signed Kidwell.

Terry Kidwell in 1987. Photo: Bud Fawcett

Now, thirty years later, you can now buy a hand-built replica crafted from the original designs from TerryKidwell.com. Yes, the man himself is helping the current trend of taking snowboarding back to its roots by offering the 1550 with either a modern, four-hole bind system or a very limited run of 155 original five-hole mounts.

Anyone can now ride a piece of bona fide snowboard folklore without fear of damaging a priceless relic.

We have no idea how this would ride compared to modern day snowboards, but we are trying our hardest to track one down to test out this winter. With the modern version priced at $649 it’s not inconceivable that anyone can now ride a piece of bona fide snowboard folklore without fear of damaging a priceless relic.

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